THE PROTECTION LEAGUE.

Evening Star, Issue 7469, 13 March 1888, Page 3

THE PROTECTION LEAGUE.

Our report of last night's meeting of the Protection League appears in another column. During to-day the secretary to the League (Mr Shelton) handed us the following letter which he had just received from Messrs Kennedy Bros., proprietors of the Brunner coal-miue : Greymouth, March 7,1838. DearSir,-Wo are in receipt of your queries as follows :-(!) "Are you in favor of an import duty being placed on coal?" Our answer is: Yes, 5s per ton (2) "Can New Zealand supply its own dem uid ?" Our answer is : Yes, twofold. (3) " Will the duty assist to develop our many resources?' Our answer is: Yes, to a very large extent. There is 130,000 tons of co 1 imported from Australia yearly into this colony—that is, nearly as much a 9 Greymouth's output in 1837. and is 25 per cent, over Westport's output for 1887. Yet the m'uing and town populations at Westport and tho coal mines is little short of 4 000, »nd is main.'v i imported by the output cf coal—--11(1,000 tons in 1837. Now, W s'port and Greymouth oould supply double their present output if they had a local demand for it. That wo have tho best possible proof of; and if any doubt exists on tho point, a rep>rt can bo cot from the managers of tho various mines showing the DUinher of d.ys for »he past year that the mines were worked and the number of days they were idle when they could havo beon worked had there been anv demand for the oml. This, we are satisfied, would is'ablish our assertions on the point. This 130,000 tons, if produced ia the colony, would therefore support a population of 6,000 paopla and employ about ten ooastal steamers In its caniage, spending eaoh in wages, victualling, and repairs, say LSOO monthly, or in all L 5.000 per minth. In addition to this It would ' add to the receipts of our locil railways at present tariff rates ind ro»altlei on coal tho nice t>uai of L16.2C0, one-ha f of which pays the railway, the remainder being profit—a very niou little sum in these days of retrenchment and depres-ion. The i xtr.i railway freight also would employ a large number of the hands now about being dispensed with.-We are, etc , Kknnkrv Bits. / - -